Winter Previews: Gorham

Alpine SkiingCoach: Sean MunkacsiKey athletes: Jacob Polchies, Sam Cousins, Nolan McCullough, Sarah Baxter, Maggie Munkacsi, Estelle Ballard, Clair MunkacskiOutlook: Munkacsi is eager to hit the slopes; no doubt his kids are too. Happily, they’ll soon get their chance: “The early snow and cold temps will allow us to get a substantial head-start training on snow at Shawnee Peak,” he says. “That in conjunction with intensive dryland training will help racers come into the start of the season strong, flexible and focused.” On the boys’ side of things, Polchies and Cousins return as top scorers, while Nolan hopes to carry over the momentum into this season that he generated with a surge at the end of last season. “With several other younger athletes continuing to improve, the boys side has the potential to turn into a very competitive group.” Over on the girls’ side, Baxter and Maggie Munkacsi, two seniors, will lead, while Ballard and Claire Munkacsi will provide much of the outfit’s firepower. Worth noting: Bonny Eagle and Massabesic both send kids to compete alongside the Rams, something Munkacsi and crew are thankful for. Finally: Munkacsi nods as well at yet another key figure in the program: “Our ever-faithful and always reliable bus driver/assistant coach, Kenny Ficket.”

Boys BasketballCoach: Mark KarterLast year’s results: 7-12, fell in A South quarterfinals to Bonny EagleKey returners: Tyler Haines (sr., F); Tom Nelson (sr., F); Nick Strout (jr., G); Jordan Bretton (jr., G)Key newcomers: Bode Meader (so., G); Grant Nadeau (so., G); Stephen Graham (so., C)Key matchups: Westbrook, Windham, Bonny Eagle, ScarboroughOutlook: “This year’s outlook is interesting,” Karter says. “The League is very strong top-to-bottom, so there should be many highly contested games.” The Rams aim to ply their depth and an up-tempo pace to their advantage. “We have players that are able to hit the three-point shot, so our ability to penetrate and kick out to these players will be key for us. We will have to be able to control the ball on defense, which will have a huge bearing on our full-court pressure. If this happens we should be competitive.” Karter picks the key matchups he picks because of the energy local rivalries generate. “[Those games] always have great intensity,” he says.

Girls BasketballCoach: Laughn BerthiaumeLast year’s results: 14-8, fell by one point to Edward Little in the AA State FinalKey returners: Mackenzie Holmes, Olivia Michaud, Adele Nadeau, Brittany Desjardin, Jacqui Hamilton, Courtney BrentKey matchups: Greely, Scarborough, Deering, Portland, South Portland, Edward Little, Oxford HillsOutlook: After winning two straight State titles in 2016 and 2017, Gorham slipped at the start of the ’17-’18 season. The Rams picked up steam through the second half of the stretch, however, and by the playoffs, looked like their usual, dominant selves: The team finished second in the State, falling narrowly (and somewhat controversially) in an instant-classic AA Final vs. the Red Eddies, a contest that featured an all-time-great Maine high school performance by Holmes. Holmes, of course, is a three-time All-Star and a McDonald’s All-American nominee. ESPN Magazine, per Berthiaume, ranked her 53rd in the country in her college recruiting class; recently, she signed on to play DI ball at Indiana. But even Holmes can’t, by herself, be a whole team; thankfully, she’s joined on the court by several other standout talents. Michaud and Nadeau both saw regular playing time last year, despite being just freshman; they’re aces in their own right and can be expected to hash many a Gorham point this winter. Desjardin is a ferocious veteran fully capable of scoring from most anywhere. Even those girls Berthiaume is forced to hold in reserve, like Hamilton and Brent, are extremely strong, and can join the action at any time without collective missing a step. Berthiaume likes the Greely matchup as an early-season test; the Rangers won the Class A crown last year, have been outstanding for quite some time and have a friendly, interclass rivalry with the Rams. South Portland has been Gorham’s chief competitor in recent seasons, and will no doubt be a threat again this year. Still, safe money is on the Rams to delve deep into the playoffs, perhaps even to return to the throne.

Boys HockeyCoach: Jon PortwineLast year’s results: 9-9, lost in B South quarterfinalsKey returners: Tanner Garand (sr., F); Trevor Gray (sr., F/D); Nick Gray (sr., D); Cole Perreault (jr., F/D); Peter Richards (jr., D)Key matchups: Greely, York, YarmouthOutlook: Graduation in June claimed the Rams’ top two scorers as well as their first-string netminder, but otherwise the team returns 10 seniors and a dozen players all told from last year’s varsity lineup. “Offense will need to come from a variety of new players this season,” Portwine says, “and finding a capable [replacement goalie] will be a top priority early.” Still, those hurdles aside, “the Rams should be a strong playoff team and could contend for the Class B South title.” Gorham fans should be optimistic: Any team that features double-digit seniors, puts in ample hard work and has a share of talent to begin with is well-positioned to win games.

Girls HockeyCoach: Nat GermondLast year’s results: 0-18Key returners: Isis Adams (sr., D); Anna Rathbun (sr., F); CC Cochran (sr., D); Anna Nault (jr., D); Izzy Wareham (jr., G); Molly Rathbun (so., F)Key newcomers: Brooke Guimond (fr., F)Key matchups: Mt. Ararat, Biddeford, Yarmouth, BrunswickOutlook: The Gorham/Bonny Eagle co-op program hopes to return to the playoffs this season, and they might just have a respectable shot at doing so. The team features a heaping group of veterans with two or three years of experience apiece; moreover, Adams returns after missing the 2017-18 stretch with a torn ACL. Cochran and Nault are strong defenders and Wareham brings three years as a starter to the post of goalie. The team began their winter at 1-1 – a decent start they intend to improve on.

SwimmingCoach: Adam CyrLast year’s results: Girls third at Southwesterns, 11th at StatesKey athletes lost: Max Harvey, Babou Gatete, Nate Smith, Sierra Lumbert, Saoirse HerlihyKey returners: Patrick Bishop, Sam Prichard, Cody Smith, Caelyn Smith, Laura Bolduc, Haley McCullough, Kasey Jiang, Ava PitmanKew newcomers: Evan Russo, Caroline Bishop, Allison BishopKey matchups: Boys Westbrook, Sanford, Portland; girls Westbrook, Kennebunk, CheverusOutlook: The Gorham boys squad has tripled in size in the past couple seasons. “We are now at a point, both size- and talent-wise, to be challenging each team we swim against and looking to win a few meets,” Cyr says of the Gentlmen Rams. “Evan Russo is going to be breaking records on day one and it will be truly amazing to see. We’re going to be looking to continue our trend of finishing better at both Southwesterns and States. Overall, I see the boys taking another big step towards our goals of being a yearly contender.” Over on the girls’ side of things, “This year is shaping up to be another strong year,” Cyr says. “We’re returning four of our top five point-scorers and adding a very big and quite talented freshman class. We’ll look to win or be very close in every single meet we have this season. At Southwesterns we are going for our third straight top-three finish as a team, and we are eyeing three or four team records to break this season. I think overall we are a more talented, deeper team this year and we’re excited about our prospects.”